59-594: The Shire of Balonne is a local government area in South West Queensland , Australia, over 500 kilometres (310 mi) from the state capital, Brisbane . It covers an area of 31,104 square kilometres (12,009.3 sq mi), and has existed as a local government entity since 1879. It is headquartered in its main town, St George . In the 2021 census , the Shire of Balonne had a population of 4,320 people. Kamilaroi (also known as Gamilaroi, Gamilaraay, Comilroy)
118-577: A unitary authority , but the Australian Bureau of Statistics refers to the whole of the ACT as an unincorporated area. The ACT Government directorate Transport Canberra & City Services handles responsibilities that are under the purview of local government in other parts of Australia, such as local road maintenance, libraries and waste collection. Many Canberra districts have community organisations called "community councils", but these are not part of
177-586: A geographic or historical interpretation. The council board members are generally known as councillors , and the head councillor is called the mayor . As of August 2016, there were 547 local councils in Australia. Despite the single tier of local governance in Australia, there are a number of extensive regions with relatively low populations that are not a part of any established LGA. Powers of local governments in these unincorporated areas may be exercised by special-purpose governing bodies established outside of
236-677: A hospital, civic centre, swimming pool, park and showground. Balonne Shire Council operates a library on the Castlereagh Highway inside the Rural Transaction Centre. The Dirranbandi branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at 22 Kirby Street ( 28°35′00″S 148°13′41″E / 28.5832°S 148.2281°E / -28.5832; 148.2281 ( Queensland Country Women's Association ) ). St Therese's Catholic Church
295-535: A larger workload. The growth of the Regional Organisations of Councils has also been a factor in local government reform in Australia. In 1995, there were 50 such agreements across the country. A 2002 study identified 55 ROCs with the largest involving 18 councils. Local government powers are determined by state governments, and states have primary responsibility for funding and exclusive responsibility for supervision of local councils. Local government
354-778: A police station, a state school, and post office. Dirranbandi Provisional School opened on 9 June 1902, but closed in April 1905. It reopened on 20 January 1908 and became Dirranbandi State School on 1 January 1909. On 29 January 1963, a secondary department to Year 10 was added. The South Western railway reached Dirranbandi on 22 May 1913. The town was served by the Dirranbandi railway station in Railway Street ( 28°35′11″S 148°13′38″E / 28.5864°S 148.2272°E / -28.5864; 148.2272 ( Dirranbandi railway station ) ). Kundilam railway station served
413-592: A population of 640 people. 79.9% of people were born in Australia and 85.2% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 29.3%, Anglican 26.5%, and No Religion 14.8%. In the 2021 census , the locality of Dirranbandi had a population of 610 people. Dirranbandi P-10 State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep-10) school for boys and girls at Jane Street ( 28°34′37″S 148°13′48″E / 28.5770°S 148.2300°E / -28.5770; 148.2300 ( Dirranbandi P-10 State School ) ). In 2015,
472-403: A shift from 'services to property' towards 'services to people'. Community expectations of local government in Australia have risen in the 21st century partly as a result of wider participation in decision-making and transparent management practices. Recent years have seen some State governments devolving additional powers onto LGAs. In Queensland and Western Australia LGAs have been granted
531-613: Is an Aboriginal language from south-west Queensland and north-west New South Wales . The Gamilaraay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Balonne Shire Council , including the towns of Dirranbandi, Thallon , Talwood and Bungunya as well as the border towns of Mungindi and Boomi extending to Moree , Tamworth and Coonabarabran in NSW. Yuwaalaraay (also known as Yuwalyai, Euahlayi, Yuwaaliyaay, Gamilaraay, Kamilaroi, Yuwaaliyaayi )
590-574: Is an Australian Aboriginal language of South-West Queensland . It is closely related to Yuwaalaraay and Yuwaalayaay. The Kamilaroi language region includes the local government area of the Shire of Balonne, including the towns of Dirranbandi , Thallon , Talwood and Bungunya as well as the border towns of Mungindi and Boomi extending to Moree , Tamworth and Coonabarabran in New South Wales . Yuwaalaraay (also known as Yuwalyai, Euahlayi, Yuwaaliyaay, Gamilaraay, Kamilaroi, Yuwaaliyaayi )
649-479: Is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Yuwaalaraay country. The Yuwaalaraay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Shire of Balonne , including the town of Dirranbandi as well as the border town of Hebel extending to Walgett and Collarenebri in New South Wales . Yuwaalayaay (also known as Yuwalyai, Euahlayi, Yuwaaliyaay, Gamilaraay, Kamilaroi, Yuwaaliyaayi )
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#1732848938647708-431: Is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Yuwaalaraay country. The Yuwaalaraay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Shire of Balonne, including the town of Dirranbandi as well as the border town of Hebel extending to Walgett and Collarenebri in New South Wales . Yuwaalayaay (also known as Yuwalyai, Euahlayi, Yuwaaliyaay, Gamilaraay, Kamilaroi, Yuwaaliyaayi )
767-588: Is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Yuwaalayaay country. It is closely related to the Gamilaraay and Yuwaalaraay languages. The Yuwaalayaay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Shire of Balonne , including the town of Dirranbandi as well as the border town of Goodooga extending to Walgett and the Narran Lakes in New South Wales. The town reserve
826-422: Is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Yuwaalayaay country. It is closely related to the Gamilaraay and Yuwaalaraay languages. The Yuwaalayaay language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Shire of Balonne, including the town of Dirranbandi as well as the border town of Goodooga extending to Walgett and the Narran Lakes in New South Wales. Ula Ula Division
885-557: Is at 42 Kirby Street ( 28°34′52″S 148°13′42″E / 28.5812°S 148.2283°E / -28.5812; 148.2283 ( St Therese's Catholic Church ) ); it is part of the parish of St Patrick's Parish headquartered in St George . St Mark's Anglican Church is at 55 Moore Street ( 28°35′06″S 148°13′44″E / 28.5851°S 148.2288°E / -28.5851; 148.2288 ( St Mark's Anglican Church ) ). Dirranbandi Uniting Church meet at
944-517: Is mentioned in the annotated Australian constitution, as a department of the State Governments, and they are mentioned in the constitutions of each of the six states. Under the Constitution, the federal government cannot provide funding directly to local governments; a 1974 referendum sought to amend the Constitution to authorise the federal government to directly fund local governments, but it
1003-447: Is part of a local government area. Unincorporated areas are often in remote locations, cover vast areas, or have very small populations. Queensland and Tasmania are entirely partitioned into LGAs and have no unincorporated areas. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has no municipalities. The ACT government is responsible for both state-level and local-level matters. In some countries, such an arrangement would be referred to as
1062-504: Is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state/territory it belongs to. The functions and practices of local councils are mostly centered around managing public services and land uses at the community level, and are similar throughout Australia, but can vary to some degree between jurisdictions. State departments oversee the activities of local councils and may intervene in their affairs when needed, subject to relevant legislation. For more details in each state and territory, see
1121-631: Is the City of Brisbane , the most populous LGA in the country, which administers a significant part of the Brisbane metropolitan area . In most cases, when a city's population statistics are used, it is the statistical division population rather than the local government area. The following table provides a summary of local government areas by states and territories by local government area types as of December 2023: The Australian Classification of Local Governments (ACLG) categorises local governing authorities using
1180-572: Is the third level of government in Australia , administered with limited autonomy under the states and territories , and in turn beneath the federal government . Local government is not mentioned in the Constitution of Australia , and two referendums in 1974 and 1988 to alter the Constitution relating to local government were unsuccessful. Every state/territory government recognises local government in its own respective constitution . Unlike
1239-454: The 2021 census , the locality of Dirranbandi had a population of 610 people. Dirranbandi is on the Castlereagh Highway and the Balonne River . It is notable for the population variations each year as seasonal workers come to work on the extensive cotton fields. Due to the low annual rainfall, irrigation is used extensively. Gamilaraay (also known as Gamilaroi, Kamilaroi, Comilroy)
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#17328489386471298-639: The Local Government Act does not mandate adopting a designation, some local government areas are legally known simply as "council", such as Port Macquarie-Hastings Council , Inner West Council and Federation Council . Some rural areas in South Australia are known as "district council", and all the LGAs in Tasmania that were previously municipalities have been renamed "council". Almost all local councils have
1357-479: The Outback Communities Authority . Victoria has a number of unincorporated areas which are not part of any LGA: Western Australia has two unincorporated areas: Dirranbandi, Queensland Download coordinates as: Dirranbandi is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Balonne , Queensland , Australia. The locality is on the border of Queensland with New South Wales . In
1416-703: The Pastoral Unincorporated Area in South Australia . Local governments are subdivisions of the six federated states as well as the Northern Territory . The Australian Capital Territory has no separate local government, and municipal functions in Canberra and the surrounding regions (normally performed by local governments in other states) are performed by the ACT territorial government. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), however, considers
1475-759: The Top End region, the Northern Territory Rates Act Area and Darwin Waterfront Precinct within Darwin , Nhulunbuy on the Gove Peninsula , Alyangula on Groote Eylandt , and Yulara in Central Australia . In South Australia , 63% of the state's area is unincorporated. Residents in this area – less than 0.2% of the state's population – receive municipal services provided by a state agency,
1534-687: The Anglican Church in Moore Street. It is part of the Uniting Church in Australia . Dirranbandi Aerodrome is located at the western end of Moore Street ( 28°35′02″S 148°13′20″E / 28.5839°S 148.2221°E / -28.5839; 148.2221 ( Dirranbandi Aerodrome ) ). It is operated by the Balonne Shire Council. It has a 1,000-metre (3,300 ft) sealed runway with lights. Slim Dusty sang about being
1593-571: The Dirranbandi Dandy in the song " Cunnamulla Fella ", which he co-wrote with Stan Coster . Robert G. Barrett's popular "You Wouldn't be Dead for Quids" book series featured Les Norton as the lead character, who was born and bred in Dirranbandi. Tom Dancey (1888–1957), a local stockman and Indigenous Australian, won Australia's most famous footrace, the Stawell Gift in 1910. It is indicated
1652-564: The Queensland borders were closed to most people due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Border crossing points were either closed or had a Queensland Police checkpoint to allow entry to only those people with an appropriate permit. The border crossing point on the Koomalah Road at Dirranbandi was closed. At the 2011 census , Dirranbandi had a population of 711. In the 2016 census , Dirranbandi had
1711-541: The church as St Mark's Anglican Church. Dirranbandi had the honour of being the destination for the last mail train to operate in Australia. The Thallon -to-Dirranbandi section of the line was closed on 2 September 2010. The Culgoa Floodplain National Park lies 130 kilometres (81 mi) to the south-west. The town experienced serious flooding in February–March 2010 and January 2011. During 2020 and 2021,
1770-450: The entire ACT as an " unincorporated " local government area, even though it is technically a state-level administrative region . Although all essentially identical in functions and jurisdictions, Australian local governments have a variety of different titles. The term "local government area" (LGA) is used by the ABS to collectively refer to all local government administrative zones regardless of
1829-504: The first half of the 20th century was the provision of physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges and sewerage. From the 1970s the emphasis changed to community facilities such as libraries and parks, maintenance of local roads, town planning and development approvals, and local services such as waste disposal. Child care, tourism and urban renewal were also beginning to be part of local governments' role. These are financed by collection of local land taxes known as "rates", and grants from
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1888-448: The first time. Significant reforms took place in the 1980s and 1990s in which state governments used metrics and efficiency analysis developed within the private sector in the local government arena. Each state conducted an inquiry into the benefits of council amalgamations during the 1990s. In the early 1990s, Victoria saw the number of local councils reduced from 210 to 78. South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland saw some reductions in
1947-472: The following settlements: Annual events include: Other notable members of the council include: Through Rural Libraries Queensland , Balonne Shire Council operates libraries at St George (headquarters), Bollon , Dirranbandi , Hebel and Thallon . 28°02′14″S 148°34′28″E / 28.03722°S 148.57444°E / -28.03722; 148.57444 Local government in Australia [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Local government
2006-415: The following: The Australian Capital Territory is not divided into local government areas, so it is regarded as a single "unincorporated" local government area during censusing . Unlike many other countries, Australia has only one level of local government immediately beneath state and territorial governments. Aside from very sparsely populated areas and a few other special cases, almost all of Australia
2065-496: The government (though they generally receive government funding). They do not have the power to change laws or policies, and their role is limited to advising government. They are effectively residents' associations . New South Wales has three unincorporated areas: In the Northern Territory , 1.47% of the total area and 3.0% of the population are in unincorporated areas. These include the Cox-Daly and Marrakai-Douglas Daly areas in
2124-561: The local legislation, as with Victoria 's alpine resorts ; or directly administered by state/territory governments, such as the entirety of the Australian Capital Territory . The administrative area covered by local government councils in Australia ranges from as small as 1.5 km (0.58 sq mi) for the Shire of Peppermint Grove in the Perth metropolitan region , to as big as 624,339 km (241,059 sq mi) for
2183-429: The mayor is elected by the board of fellow councillors . The powers of mayors vary as well; for example, mayors in Queensland have broad executive functions, whereas mayors in New South Wales are essentially ceremonial figureheads who can only exercise power at the discretion of the council. Most of the capital city LGAs administer only the central business districts and nearby central suburbs . A notable exception
2242-561: The names of LGAs, and today the stylised titles of " town ", " borough ", " municipality ", " district ", " region ", "community government", " Aboriginal council/shire" and "island" are used in addition. The word "municipality" occurs in some states with differing meanings: in New South Wales it is typically used for older urban areas, and the word is used for some rural towns in South Australia . Larger towns and small metropolitan exurban centres in Queensland and Western Australia simply use
2301-649: The number of local governments while Western Australia and New South Wales rejected compulsory mergers. New South Wales eventually forced the merging of some councils. The main purpose of amalgamating councils was for greater efficiency and to improve operations, but forced amalgamation of councils is sometimes seen as a dilution of representative democracy . An increase in the range of services offered by councils, but only minor cost savings of less than 10% have been noted by academics as outcomes after mergers. The council mergers have resulted in widespread job losses and lingering resentment from some whose roles have experienced
2360-597: The part of local governments. There is no mention of local government in the Constitution of Australia , though it is mentioned several times in the Annotated Constitution of Australia. "Municipal institutions and local government" appears in Annotation 447, and "Power of the Parliament of a Colony" appears under "Residuary Legislative Powers" on pages 935 and 936. The first official local government in Australia
2419-812: The population, the population density and the proportion of the population that is classified as being urban for the council. The classification, at the two-digit level, is: All local governments are approximately equal in their theoretical powers, although LGAs that encompass large cities such as Brisbane and the Gold Coast command more resources due to their larger population base. Unlike local governments in many other countries, services such as police, fire protection and schools are provided by respective state or territory governments rather than by local councils. However, local governments still maintain some responsibility for fire service functions within Queensland and Western Australia. The councils' chief responsibility in
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2478-414: The power to independently enact their own local subsidiary legislation , in contrast to the previous system of by-laws . Councils also have organised their own representative structures such as Local Government Associations and Regional Organisations of Councils . Doctrines of New Public Management have shaped state government legislation towards increased freedoms aiming to allow greater flexibility on
2537-526: The purpose of raising money to build roads in rural and outer-urban regions. Council representatives attended conventions before Federation , however local government was unquestionably regarded as outside the Constitutional realm. In the 1970s, the Whitlam government expanded the level of funding to local governments in Australia beyond grants for road construction. General purpose grants become available for
2596-581: The rural areas 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the east of the town ( 28°35′53″S 148°19′35″E / 28.5981°S 148.3264°E / -28.5981; 148.3264 ( Bonathorne railway station ) ). The name Kundilam is an Aboriginal word meaning scrub berry . On 28 June 1917 Kundilam railway renamed Bonathorne railway station , named after the adjacent Bonathorne pastoral station of Alfred Allen Moore (the Bonathorne pastoral station still exists as at 8 May 2020 ). Noondoo railway station
2655-408: The same administrative functions and similar political structures, regardless of their naming, and retain a particular designation ("shire", "borough", "town", "city") for historical reasons only. They will typically have an elected council and usually a mayor or shire president responsible for chairing meetings of the council. In some councils, the mayor is a directly elected figure, but in most cases
2714-474: The school had 73 students with 12 teachers (11 full-time equivalent). In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 65 students with 13 teachers (11 full-time equivalent) and 13 non-teaching staff (9 full-time equivalent). For secondary education to Year 12, the nearest government school is St George State High School in neighbouring St George to the north-west, but, given the distance, distance education and boarding school would be other options. Dirranbandi has
2773-424: The spring. Hawkston railway station was located approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of the town ( 28°37′17″S 148°32′00″E / 28.6214°S 148.5333°E / -28.6214; 148.5333 ( Hawkston railway station ) ). The Catholic church in Dirranbandi was expected to be opened by Archbishop James Duhig on Sunday 25 April 1926, but it was not until 13 May 1928 that he
2832-493: The state and Commonwealth governments. They are caricatured as being concerned only with the "three Rs": Rates, Roads and Rubbish. However, the roles of local government areas in Australia have recently expanded as higher levels of government have devolved activities to the third tier. Examples include the provision of community health services, regional airports and pollution control as well as community safety and accessible transport. The changes in services has been described as
2891-606: The term "town", while in Victoria they are designated as "rural city". Historically, the word "borough" was common for small towns and suburban centers in Victoria, but nowadays only the Borough of Queenscliffe remains as the one and only borough in the entire country. New South Wales and Queensland have also introduced a new term "region" for outback LGAs formed by the amalgamation of smaller shires and rural cities. In New South Wales, where
2950-745: The two-tier local government system in Canada or the United States , there is only one tier of local government in each Australian state/territory, with no distinction between counties and cities . The Australian local government is generally run by a council , and its territory of public administration is referred to generically by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as the local government area or LGA , each of which encompasses multiple suburbs or localities (roughly equivalent to neighborhoods) often of different postcodes ; however, stylised terms such as "city", " borough ", " region " and " shire " also have
3009-501: The varying designations, whilst the local governing legislature itself is generally known as a council . In general, an urban / suburban LGA is called a " city ", as in the City of Melbourne , City of Canada Bay and City of Bunbury ; while an exurban / rural LGA covering a larger agricultural / natural area is usually called a " shire ", as in Shire of Mornington Peninsula , Shire of Banana and Lachlan Shire . Sometimes designations other than "city" or "shire" are used in
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#17328489386473068-610: The £1000 prize money was kept by his handlers and he only got the trophy. Brigadier General William Grant (1870–1939) post- World War I bought land in the area. He was involved in the Australian Light Horse . Artwork commemorates Dirranbandi's contributions to the Light Horse in terms of men and horses. Actor Ray Meagher grew up near Dirranbandi. He is best known for playing Alf Stewart on soap opera Home and Away , and credits one of his character's catchphrases "Stone
3127-479: Was able to officially open St. Therese's Catholic Church. In September 1934 Mr. A. Clayton was contracted to build an Anglican church in Dirranbandi to the design of Brisbane architect, S. W. Prior. It was intended to be serviced by the Bush Brotherhood . By February 1935 it was open for services, but it was not until Saturday 15 February 1936 that Bishop Horace Dixon was able to come to Dirranbandi dedicate
3186-537: Was approx 20 kilometres (12 mi) east of the town ( 28°36′35″S 148°25′47″E / 28.6097°S 148.4297°E / -28.6097; 148.4297 ( Noondoo railway station ) ); it was named by the Queensland Railways Department on 29 October eafter the Noondoo pastoral station which in turn is an Aboriginal name either for the spring near the homestead or the shrub growing near
3245-519: Was created on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 with a population of 1271. The name Ula Ula is believed to be derived from an Aboriginal word meaning water lilies , or ripples on water A separate municipality, the Borough of St George was gazetted on 31 July 1884, but on 13 March 1886 it was abolished and amalgamated back into Ula Ula Division. On 11 March 1903, Ula Ula Division
3304-539: Was defeated. A 1988 referendum sought to explicitly insert mention of local government in the federal constitution but this was comprehensively defeated. A further referendum was proposed in 2013 , but was cancelled due to the change in the election date . Federal government interaction with local councils happens regularly through the provision of federal grants to help fund local government managed projects. Local government in Australia has very limited legislative powers and no judicial powers , and executive -wise
3363-600: Was renamed Balonne Division, after the Balonne River . The name Balonne is believed to be of Aboriginal origin meaning water or running stream . With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902 , Balonne Division became Shire of Balonne on 31 March 1903. The area contains the Balonne , Barwon , Boomi , Culgoa , Little Weir , Maranoa , Moonie , and Narran rivers, which attract fishermen seeking both yellowbelly and Murray cod . The Shire of Balonne includes
3422-496: Was surveyed in March 1885 by surveyor Claudius Buchanan Whish . He is believed to have named the town using an Aboriginal word, meaning either broken forest country or chorus of frogs at night . The name may be derived from a Yuwaaliyaay dialect placename, Dhurrunbandaay , relating to dhurrun.gal ("hairy caterpillars") and baanda-y ("move in single file"). One hundred housing allotments were first set aside, followed by land for
3481-600: Was the Perth Town Trust , established in 1838, only three years after British settlement. The Adelaide Corporation followed, created by the province of South Australia in October 1840. The City of Melbourne and the Sydney Corporation followed, both in 1842. All of these early forms failed; it was not until the 1860s and 1870s that the various colonies established widespread stable forms of local government, mainly for
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